The Stellar Seven
These were our seven most popular news stories for the year.
- Dan Fogler and Eddie Redmayne sat down with MuggleNet at a surprise visit to Warner Bros. Studio Tour London and discussed the next Fantastic Beasts film.
- Jude Law was announced to play Albus Dumbledore in Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald.
- J.K. Rowling issued a statement defending the casting of Johnny Depp in the Fantastic Beasts franchise.
- MuggleNet received a first look at Warner Bros. Studio Tour London’s new Forbidden Forest feature.
- The Harry Potter: A History of Magic documentary, an accompaniment to the British Library exhibition, aired in the UK.
- J.K. Rowling and Tom Burke shared their insight on Strike.
- It was announced that the original London cast of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child would be returning for its Broadway debut!
The Stories
January 5 - Harry Potter and the Cursed Child producer Sonia Friedman was named the most powerful person in British theater.
January 5 - Jonny Duddle's cover for Bloomsbury's new Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them was released.
January 10 - Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them was nominated for five BAFTAs, including Outstanding British Film.
January 12 - USA Today released its 2016 book sale rankings, which included six J.K. Rowling titles in the top 100.
January 19 - Jason Isaacs and Tom Felton were announced as special guests for Universal Orlando Resort's A Celebration of Harry Potter.
January 24 - Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them was nominated for two Oscars: Costume Design and Production Design.
January 26 - House of MinaLima announced it would be a permanent feature of London's Soho district.
January 27 - VIDEO - Eddie Redmayne was announced as the narrator of the brand new Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them audiobook.
January 27 - The release date of the Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them DVD was announced as March 27.
January 27 - VIDEO - Warner Bros. Studio Tour London announced a brand new expansion for March 31: the Forbidden Forest.
January 27 - VIDEO - Sir John Hurt, who portrayed wandmaker Garrick Ollivander, passed away from pancreatic cancer at the age of 77.
January 29 - VIDEO - A deleted scene of Queenie and Tina singing the Ilvermorny school song was released.
January 31 - Harry Potter and the Cursed Child won three Critics' Circle Theatre Awards, including Best Director and Most Promising Newcomer.
February 7 - Audition dates for Harry Potter and the Cursed Child on Broadway were announced.
February 9 - Elle UK revealed that Emma Watson would be March’s cover star. We also learned that she would be named Woman of the Year at the Elle Style Awards 2017.
February 9 - VIDEO - The Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them visual effects team gave fans a behind-the-scenes look at how their favorite beasts were brought to life.
February 11 - VIDEO - MuggleNet had a conversation with Evanna Lynch about her film My Name Is Emily.
February 11 - Harper Design released a new, deluxe version of The Beauty and the Beast with illustrations by MinaLima.
February 13 - Stuart Craig and Anna Pinnock took home a BAFTA for Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them's production design.
February 15 - Emma Watson spoke on gender inequality during the 2017 Elle Style Awards.
February 15 - VIDEO - Emma Watson and costar Dan Stevens spoke with Pinkvilla on the upcoming Beauty and the Beast film.
February 16 - VIDEO - More behind-the-scenes features revealed how 1920s New York, MACUSA, and more fantastic creatures were brought to life for Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them.
February 16 - VIDEO - Emma Watson graced the cover of Entertainment Weekly, and fans got to see new photos of the actress as Belle in Beauty and the Beast.
February 20 - VIDEO - We got a glimpse of “Belle,” “Gaston,” and more songs from Beauty and the Beast.
February 21 - The illustrated edition of Prisoner of Azkaban went live for pre-order.
February 24 - Longtime friends Bonnie Wright and Evanna Lynch discussed work after Potter in an interview for Interview magazine.
February 24 - Potter director Chris Columbus won the first ever Robin Williams Award for Excellence in Entertainment.
February 24 - Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them’s MACUSA was featured on a coin in the Cook Islands.
March 2 - The trailer for Daniel Radcliffe’s new movie, Jungle, was released, showing one man’s story of survival in the Bolivian jungle.
March 4 - Sir Michael Gambon was announced to receive a lifetime achievement award from the Irish Film and Television Academy.
March 6 - Harry Potter and the Cursed Child received an unprecedented 11 Olivier Award nominations.
March 6 - Harry Potter and the Cursed Child was announced as a finalist for the tenth annual Children’s and Teen Choice Book Awards.
March 7 - Jason Isaacs, who portrayed Lucius Malfoy in the Potter films, was cast in the upcoming television series Star Trek: Discovery as Captain Lorca.
March 11 - MuggleNet received a first look at Warner Bros. Studio Tour London's new Forbidden Forest feature.
March 13 - VIDEO - The full-length Beauty and the Beast soundtrack was released, giving fans the chance to hear Emma Watson's vocal cords in action.
March 14 - Pottermore released artwork featuring some new fantastic beasts from the wizarding world.
March 16 - J.K. Rowling revealed the title for the next Cormoran Strike novel, Lethal White, through Twitter.
March 18 - Jim Kay, the artist behind the illustrated Harry Potter books, was nominated for the Kate Greenaway Medal.
March 20 - Matthew Lewis, who portrayed Neville Longbottom in the Potter films, was announced to appear on the UK version of Drunk History.
March 23 - Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey at Universal Studios Hollywood was announced to feature new 4K-HD technology.
March 26 - VIDEO - A new Justice League trailer was released, giving us a better look at Ezra Miller, who portrays Credence Barebone in the Fantastic Beasts film series, as the Flash.
March 27 - Dan Fogler and Eddie Redmayne sat down with MuggleNet at a surprise visit to Warner Bros. Studio Tour London and discussed the next Fantastic Beasts film.
March 30 - The new cast for Harry Potter and the Cursed Child was revealed, who would take over the London stage with their debut on May 24.
April 9 - VIDEO - Harry Potter and the Cursed Child took home 9 out of the 11 awards it was nominated for at the Olivier Awards.
April 11 - “Quidditch” was added to Oxford’s English Dictionary.
April 12 - Jude Law was announced to play Albus Dumbledore in Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald.
April 13 - VIDEO - Universal Orlando Resort announced that Christmas festivities would take place in both Diagon Alley and Hogsmeade for the first time.
April 14 - A new documentary special on J.K. Rowling’s early Harry Potter publishing history aired.
April 15 - Rupert Grint’s Sick Note was greenlit for a second season.
April 17 - Warwick Davis’s long-standing relationship with the Star Wars film series continued with him being casted in multiple roles in the upcoming installment.
April 17 - David Bradley was announced to return to his role as the First Doctor in the 2017 Doctor Who Christmas special.
April 18 - James and Oliver Phelps dropped the first hint of their new project, titled Twin Cities.
April 20 - Rupert Grint’s Snatch was greenlit for a second season.
April 21 - The first whispers of Callum Turner being cast as Newt Scamander's brother in Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald began.
April 23 - The first championship tournament for UK’s Quidditch Premier League took place in Yorkshire.
April 26 - It was announced that James Newton, the composer of Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, would receive an achievement award at the 52nd Karlovy Vary International Film Festival for his versatile 30-year career.
May 6 - Pottermore announced it would soon be launching the Wizarding World Book Club.
May 8 - VIDEO - Emma Watson won MTV Movie & TV Awards' first gender-neutral Best Actor in a Movie award for Beauty and the Beast.
May 8 - J.K. Rowling was honored with the Booksellers Award for Outstanding Contribution to the Book Trade, and the Harry Potter and the Cursed Child – Parts One and Two script book was honored with a Bestseller Award.
May 9 - Noma Dumezweni won the Best Actress award at the Mousetrap Awards for her portrayal of Hermione in Harry Potter and the Cursed Child – Parts One and Two.
May 12 - J.K. Rowling appealed to the Harry Potter fandom to help the police in finding a rare postcard, handwritten by Rowling, that had been stolen from the purchaser in April.
May 13 - Bloomsbury announced that the audiobook for the Hogwarts textbook Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, narrated by Eddie Redmayne, would be released on CD.
May 18 - VIDEO - Universal Studios Hollywood announced that the “Nighttime Lights at Hogwarts Castle” light show would debut in the summer.
May 20 - Noma Dumezweni and Sonia Friedman were named ambassadors for the Stage Supports, a performing arts support program in the UK.
May 21 - Members of the original cast of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child – Parts One and Two tweeted their goodbyes during their final week on the London stage.
May 22 - VIDEO - The first official pictures of the new cast of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child – Parts One and Two were released on Twitter.
May 23 - Independent Bookstore Week honored the 20th anniversary of the release of Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone with activities and celebrations across the UK.
May 28 - J. K. Rowling tweeted that the script for the second Fantastic Beasts movie was complete.
May 31 - VIDEO - Bonnie Wright's first directorial project, Phone Calls, became available to watch online.
June 6 - House of MinaLima celebrated its first anniversary after over 300,000 visitors.
June 6 - Pottermore announced an open casting call to find young Newt Scamander, Leta Lestrange, Sebastian, Gellert Grindelwald, and Albus Dumbledore for Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald.
June 8 - Alnwick Castle, where Hogwarts scenes in the first two Harry Potter films were shot, hosted a 20th-anniversary celebration of the release of Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone.
June 9 - Pottermore announced a new collection of artwork with 30 Harry Potter designs.
June 16 - Oliver and James Phelps announced a new project, Twin Cities.
June 17 - J.K. Rowling was recognized in the Queen’s Birthday Honours list as a Companion of Honour for services to literature and philanthropy.
June 17 - J.K. Rowling came in third on Forbes’ Highest-Paid Celebrities list after a three-year absence.
June 19 - Bloomsbury’s 20th-anniversary House editions of Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone revealed Professors Pomona Sprout and Filius Flitwick were once a couple. This was later proven to be information based on a fake tweet.
June 22 - Bloomsbury and the British Library revealed the release of two new official titles as companion books of the Harry Potter: A History of Magic exhibition.
June 22 - Pottermore announced a pop-up shop in Portobello Road Market, London.
June 23 - Bloomsbury and Bolton Library and Museum Services set a Guinness World Record for Largest Gathering of People Dressed as Harry Potter.
June 23 - Universal Studios Hollywood’s "The Nighttime Lights at Hogwarts Castle" show officially opened and lasted until Labor Day.
June 25 - Tom Felton and Rupert Grint, along with other Harry Potter alumni, were invited to join the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.
July 10 - Extra artwork from the new illustrated Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them was revealed.
July 10 - The cover of the fully illustrated Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them was revealed.
July 10 - VIDEO - J.K. Rowling revealed that she had finally written her long-teased fairy tale. Sadly, no plans for publishing were announced.
July 16 - VIDEO - Candlewick´s new Magical Film Projections: Patronus Charm book was released.
July 20 - Kindle released a new animated Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone edition.
July 22 - MuggleNet got a sneak peek of the definitive edition of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child.
July 24 - MuggleNet previewed the illustrated edition of Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them.
July 26 - Funko Pop! added a Ginny Weasley figure to the collection.
July 27 - It was announced that Tom Felton would narrate Roald Dahl’s audiobook collection Trickery; this is now available from Penguin Books UK on iTunes and Audible in the UK, Australia, New Zealand, and Canada.
July 29 - J.K. Rowling and Tom Burke shared their insight on Strike.
July 29 - MuggleNet previewed the illustrated edition of Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban.
July 30 - VIDEO - Evanna Lynch shared her open support for the Vegan Society's Plate Up movement.
August 3 - Cornelius Fudge actor Robert Hardy passed away at the age of 91.
August 4 - J.K. Rowling went back to the top of Forbes’s Highest-Paid Authors list, thanks to sales of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child.
August 11 - VIDEO - Callum Turner was confirmed to be playing Theseus Scamander in the sequel to Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them.
August 12 - MuggleNet was featured in the Newsweek special rerelease of its “Wizarding World of Harry Potter” edition.
August 16 - MuggleNet gave fans a look at the cover of Bloomsbury’s deluxe edition of the illustrated Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them.
August 20 - MuggleNet interviewed Tom Burke, who plays Cormoran Strike in the BBC One television adaptation of J.K. Rowling’s Cormoran Strike series of novels.
August 21 - VIDEO - BBC One released its first trailer for Strike, based on J.K. Rowling’s Cormoran Strike series.
August 21 - VIDEO - Fans got a look at the design process behind the 20th-anniversary House editions of Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone.
August 24 - MuggleNet attended Pottermore’s first Wizarding World Book Club live event, hosted at Twitter’s UK headquarters.
August 24 - It was announced that Halloween events would be returning to the Wizarding World of Harry Potter at Universal Studios Japan.
August 25 - VIDEO - Ahead of the premiere of Strike on BBC One, paperback TV tie-in editions of the books in the Cormoran Strike series were made available for purchase in the UK.
August 25 - VIDEO - J.K. Rowling began to drop hints that filming for the second film in the Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them franchise had begun.
August 28 - BBC One’s Strike aired on August 27 and received high viewing figures.
August 28 - Emma Watson was named Most Influential Celebrity, according to a British poll.
August 31 - The new Quidditch Premier League found its first champion, the West Midlands Revolution!
September 1 - Potterheads celebrated “Nineteen Years Later.”
September 1 - A first look at the Harry Potter: A History of Magic exhibition space was revealed.
September 1 - VIDEO - Pottermore launched a new interactive feature with the Hogwarts Castle and grounds.
September 2 - The Harry Potter Alliance launched “A World Without Hermione” - a campaign for girls’ education.
September 5 - Warner Bros. Studio Tour London announced plans for special Dark Arts-themed features for Halloween.
September 6 - It was announced that the New York Historical Society will host the Harry Potter: A History of Magic exhibition in October 2018.
September 6 - VIDEO - A trailer for the Strike: The Silkworm TV miniseries was released.
September 6 - The film props for Harry’s Hogwarts acceptance letter and the Howler received by Ron were put up for auction.
September 7 - The alleged author of infamous fan fiction story My Immortal was revealed to be releasing a memoir.
September 7 - Universal Studios Japan revealed its plans for the holiday season.
September 11 - A BBC Two documentary on the British Library’s Harry Potter: A History of Magic exhibition was announced.
September 13 - Wizarding world design duo Miraphora Mina and Eduardo Lima (a.k.a. MinaLima) spoke at the Global Design Forum at the Victoria and Albert Museum, London.
September 13 - The return of A Celebration of Harry Potter to Universal Orlando was announced.
September 14 - The British Academy of Film and Television Arts awarded Sir Kenneth Branagh the Albert R. Broccoli Britannia Award for Worldwide Contribution to Entertainment.
September 17 - BBC announced that Strike would return to UK TV screens in 2018.
September 18 - VIDEO - Funko Pop! revealed exclusive figures for New York Comic Con 2017, including Boggart-Snape and Grindelwald.
September 21 - A first-edition copy of Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone broke the record at auction for the highest price paid for an uninscribed work of fiction published in the last 50 years.
September 22 - It was announced that David Sakurai would play henchman Krall in Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald.
September 25 - VIDEO - J.K. Rowling, John Tiffany, and Jack Thorne were interviewed about Harry Potter and the Cursed Child on CBS Sunday Morning.
September 25 - Lumos was named a finalist in the MacArthur 100&Change Competition.
September 26 - Harry Potter: The Exhibition announced it would be in Madrid between November 18, 2017, and January 28, 2018.
September 26 - Two new teams (Welsh Dragons and Scottish Thistles) joined the 2018 UK Quidditch Premier League Championship.
October 6 - Pottermore released a list of new characters we can expect to see in Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald - including Nicolas Flamel and an as-yet-unrevealed character played by comedian Jessica Williams.
October 6 - Interior images from Jim Kay’s illustrated version of Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban were released.
October 9 - The first celebrity guests, James Phelps, Oliver Phelps, and Stanislav Yanevski, were announced for 2018’s A Celebration of Harry Potter at Universal Orlando.
October 9 - It was announced that a full-color edition of The Tales of Beedle the Bard, illustrated by artist Chris Riddell, will be released in October 2018.
October 10 - US network Cinemax acquired the American rights to the Cormoran Strike television series, announcing that it had been renamed C.B. Strike and will air in the US in the summer of 2018.
October 13 - Entertainment Weekly announced the release of a vinyl box set collection of the Harry Potter film soundtracks.
October 19 - Harry Potter: A History of Magic opened at the British Library, and MuggleNet reviewed the exhibit’s most interesting pieces.
October 23 - It was announced that a production of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child will open in Melbourne, Australia, in 2019.
October 27 - Pendleton Woolen Mills launched its Harry Potter collection of blankets and scarves.
October 28 - Harry Potter and the Cursed Child composer Imogen Heap speculated that a soundtrack of the stage show could be available in 2018.
October 30 - The Harry Potter: A History of Magic documentary, an accompaniment to the British Library exhibition, aired in the UK.
October 31 - It was announced that Strike will get a UK DVD release in November.
November 1 - A new film still for the sequel to Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them was released online via the film’s official Twitter account, which showed an invite to Newt Scamander’s book launch party at Flourish & Blotts on March 19.
November 3 - The Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them virtual reality game, previously made available on Google Dream last year, was featured in a Japanese trailer for Playstation VR winter releases.
November 6 - VIDEO - Bloomsbury announced the release of Olivia Lomenech Gill’s illustrated Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them with a gorgeous video.
November 8 - Pottermore announced that new Potter-inspired games and a gaming console would be released, starting with a mobile game similar to Pokémon Go, called Harry Potter: Wizards Unite.
November 9 - Warner Bros. Studio Tour London won the 2017 Sandford Award for its educational program.
November 16 - The title of the second film in the Fantastic Beasts series was revealed as Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald, along with the first official cast photo showing Jude Law as Dumbledore and Callum Turner as Newt’s brother, Theseus.
November 16 - A signed first edition of Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone broke records after selling for over $140,000 at auction.
November 17 - MinaLima released nine new graphics for Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them.
November 18 - Universal Orlando Resort released a new Chocolate Frog collectible card featuring Hengist of Woodcroft.
November 26 - David Heyman revealed his thoughts on the casting of Jude Law as young Dumbledore in Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald.
November 28 - Olly Moss released previously unseen cover art for the Harry Potter book series.
December 4 - Harry Potter and the Cursed Child was nominated for two WhatsOnStage awards, for Best West End Show and Best Show Poster.
December 4 - Sir John Hurt, who died earlier in the year from pancreatic cancer, was posthumously nominated for an award for his work on the BBC audio drama The Invisible Man.
December 6 - A new image from Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald was released by Entertainment Weekly, showing Newt Scamander in the sewer.
December 6 - Gary Oldman and David Thewlis were nominated for Critics' Choice Awards, along with Sir Kenneth Branagh’s film Dunkirk.
December 7 - J.K. Rowling issued a statement defending the casting of Johnny Depp in the Fantastic Beasts franchise.
December 11 - Jude Law, Gary Oldman, and David Thewlis were nominated for Golden Globe Awards, which also included other Potter alumni projects such as Dunkirk, Game of Thrones, and The Shape of Water.
December 12 - A new Harry Potter mobile game was announced, called Harry Potter: Hogwarts Mystery.
December 12 - J.K. Rowling received the title of Companion of Honour for her services to literature and philanthropy, with the award being presented to her by Prince Harry.
December 14 - Universal Orlando Resort announced that the final guest for A Celebration of Harry Potter 2018 would be Natalia Tena, who portrayed Nymphadora Tonks in the Potter films.
December 14 - Funko announced new Quidditch Ginny and Ron Pop! vinyl figures, along with five new SuperCute Plush Potter dolls and a pair of Hagrid and Harry Vinyl figures.
December 17 - Gary Oldman, David Thewlis, and Alexandre Desplat were nominated for Screen Actors Guild Awards.
December 19 - A new image from Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald was released, showing Newt and Jacob together again.
December 20 - More tickets for Harry Potter and the Cursed Child in New York City were announced to be available in February.
December 24 - Insight Editions announced a new Harry Potter coloring book, Harry Potter: A Cinematic Gallery.
December 27 - Gary Oldman and Colin Farrell were nominated for London Film Critics’ Circle Awards.
December 28 - Empire released a new photo of Newt and Tina from The Crimes of Grindelwald.